Strobes??

[Octoloco]

I see all these beautiful pics from the tropics using the same camera as I have - Casio Z1200. Is it because I'm not using a strobe that these pics were ruined??? What a disappointment to an amazing experience. We're heading to Indonesia in May and would appreciate any photography help I can get before leaving. I did have a friend do an amazing repair job but I'd like to be able to shoot and not have to fix everything. As an added note, my pics from the dark waters of Puget Sound seem to turn out well.

[defied]

Holy crap! Ruined? I think not! There is no blur on the lower image, including that wicked looking eye (or eye texture).
That's about to become my wallpaper for the week!

D(B)

[Octoloco]

Wow! Thanks! If you're going to use them, at least use the repaired versions (thanks to my photoshop expert friend)! The picture's are from Bonaire last fall. That eagle ray was beautiful and didn't seem the least bit bothered by us.

[Octoloco]

But back to the question; why are they blue??? I've played with the white balance and had some luck but the colors still weren't really good.

[Grateful Diver]

But back to the question; why are they blue??? I've played with the white balance and had some luck but the colors still weren't really good.

Remember what water does to colors?

Pretty much any wide-angle shot you take is going to look blue, because the water's filtering out the colors of the reflected light ... and blue's just about the last color to get filtered out (red goes first).

Digital cameras can provide some correction by applying "filters" that interpret what they see in certain ways ... replacing some or all of the filtered colors. That's what "white balance" is doing. But they can't replace all the colors. Photoshop has more powerful filters, which is why your friend was able to restore a more "natural" look to your pictures (very nice job of it too).

Macro pictures don't have that problem, because your camera is seeing the subject through much less water ... hence less color filtering takes place. Strobes will help alleviate the problem by replacing the ambient light with an artificial light that travels through much less water (and therefore there's less filtering effect) ... but beyond a few feet, depending on the size and power of the strobe, they won't really help that much either.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[boydski]

The photos are blue because that is the color of the light that penetrates the furthest underwater (oops Bob beat me to it). You can overcome the blue color by using strobes to add color back to objects that are close (for example this eagle ray) or you can use a filter to remove/block the blue color for large critters that are too far away to effectively light with a strobe (for example this pair of eagle rays which were shot using a "magic filter").

Setting your white balance while using a filter typcially works very well when shooting down with the sun above you (like your photos above). When shooting from below, with the sun behind the critter, a strobe will usually work best.

[Dusty2]

Darn you have to be fast around here!
OK, There is enough light for the camera to get a good shot but since you are underwater certain colors are missing. In order to get them back you would need a pretty powerful strobe settup or two strobes even better. No matter how clear the water is it filters out certain colors. The deeper you are the more colors that are filtered. They do have filters that will enhance the colors for tropical waters and these will help. White balance can help but it won't replace color that is not present. You are dealing with a loss of color so you need to do something to replace it. A good light source is the answer. Keep in mind that distance to the subject is also a factor. Strobes are very limited distance wise. Even a powerful one is only good for 15 feet or so max and the water will filter the colors from a strobe light just the same as it does the natural light.

You will get better colors at night or on overcast days as the strobes don't have to over ride the sunlight.

Hope this helps.

[Octoloco]

So, with all that said, and thanks so much; do either of you have any recommendations for strobes? Bob, I thought some time back I remember you saying on a thread that you were shooting with a Z1200. You've got some incredible pictures, and if I could shoot half that well, I'd be darn happy with my photos.

[Dusty2]

It's a mater of how much do you want to spend. Or should I say how much can you afford to spend. Sealife makes a pretty good entry level light. If you have deeper pockets Sea and sea or ikelite are good lights. Just make sure it is made for a digital camera. IE. is a slave strobe and has pre flash settings

[Octoloco]

What's funny is that I just sold my Sealife camera and strobe a month ago; before I realized the problem might be the strobe. Thanks for all the help on this. It looks like I need to do a little research on Ikelite and Sea & Sea. I originally bought the Z1200 for it's size and thinking that it didn't need a strobe. It looks like I might need some basic underwater photography lessons?

Thanks to all.

[Grateful Diver]

I had ... and still have (as a backup camera) a Z1000. But it's really only good for macro, which is what most of my shots are.

I've recently purchased a Canon G10, a wide-angle (15mm) port, and a pair of strobes ... but I'm still learning how to use them.

One word of caution with strobes. I learned the hard way that the cheaper ones are all but useless. If you're going to get a strobe, look at some of the better Sea & Sea, Ikelite, or Inon models and pick one that'll give you some real benefit.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Octoloco]

I figured that I'd have to pony up and get a better model than the Sealife so am ok that it has a new home. Is there one you would recommend, or better yet, recommend against?

[Dusty2]

What's funny is that I just sold my Sealife camera and strobe a month ago; before I realized the problem might be the strobe.

Isn't That always the case. Ya sell it then ya need it. Anyway getting rid of the Sealife camera was a wise choice.

Anyway the things to look for are the guide number, you want at least 20 or higher and the recycle time, the shorter the better. the Sealife SL960D will run around $250 to $300 I would rate it fair to good.
The Ikelite The DS 51 has good power and can be had for around $350 to $399 I have heard that they did have leak problems at one time but I would assume they have corrected that by now.
The Sea and Sea YS27DX is a great strobe for around $350 give or take.

Good luck

[Dusty2]

If you are not in a big hurry this guy sounds like a good one. It's the new kid on the block. They are taking pre orders but it isn't actually in stock yet
Fantasea Remora Flash
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... details&Q=

[Octoloco]

Wow, you're a wealth of information. Thanks so much. I'll check them out and let you know. You've got some great pictures; do you mind if I ask what you use?

[Grateful Diver]

If you're gonna buy Fantasea, then buy local ... http://opticaloceansales.com/

Jack will most likely have a booth at the Dive Expo ... he did last year.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Dusty2]

Yep Jack is the man for Fantasea and several others and a good guy to get info from. He can get you all setup with everthing you need too cause he has all the bases,arms and such and puts together some pretty good package deals. I just ordered a new brand of strobe that he is selling at a really great price. If it preforms well you could put two of them together for a nice double strobe rig at about the price of one Ikelite or Sea & Sea. I'll let you know how it works out.

Wow, you're a wealth of information. Thanks so much. I'll check them out and let you know. You've got some great pictures; do you mind if I ask what you use?

I use a Canon powershot A640 in an Ikelite case. At present I am using a Fantasea Nano strobe which is a good little strobe but not really powerful enough for NW diving hence my order for the new strobe from Jack. Oh and you really need a focus light for diving in our dark NW waters or for night dives to give the camera enough light to focus.

[dphershman]

Blue color casts in UW photos are caused by the amount of water that surface light has to travel through. Red light has lower energy so its filtered out first, followed by the yellows, then greens and finally blues. The only color that is present at depth is blue, but beyond a certain depth all light disappears entirely.

Strobes restore natural color, no matter the depth. But to be effective they have to be 5 feet or closer to the subject, give or take a few feet according to the power of the strobe. To illuminate an object the size of an eagle ray you need to be withing that distance, and to get the entire eagle ray you need a very wide angle lens so that you can get the whole animal in the frame. Most point and shoots don't have the ability to get that wide of a view, but there are various lens attachements that will extend the angle of view. The distance to subject remains the same, the only difference is that a larger subject requires a wider angle lens. At a certain point the field of view required to capture the subject exceeds the range of the strobe, that's when two strobes are better.

this picture is just a couple of feet away from the main subject, it would have been better with two strobes.



As for strobes, I've had very good luck with the Ikelight DS125 (now replaced with the DS160). I like the rechargeable built in battery unit and the focus light in the main unit.

[Octoloco]

Thanks so much for all the help from everyone. I really appreciate help from you all; I've seen the photos you've produced and stand in awe. I'll check this local store out; sounds like he's got it all. It seems that I need more help than I originally thought?? Would you recommend an underwater photography class?

The eagle ray shots were in 20 fsw so the sand was really bright, but I was within 6-8 feet at most from it.

The frogfish pic below was taken at 65 fsw so I understand (now) about the need for additional lighting, but I was only 2 feet from it at most.

We were in Hawaii recently and I did discover that shining my flashlight on the subject, even during the day, the pictures came out much better. Will a focus light differ from the light of a flashlight? In the tropics as well as here?

Bob, I had the Z1000 a couple years ago - well long story short, I sold it to a divemaster in Bonaire that insisted he couldn't afford import taxes to buy his own. I did only use it while we were there but it seemed to take better pics than the Z1200 (maybe the Z1200 needs more operator input and I need more camera skills?)

I really appreciate all the suggestions and support.

Many thanks again!

[Grateful Diver]

Looks like you're not even using the internal flash ... or it didn't fire. Sometimes in bright, tropical waters if it's set to Auto it won't fire, as it perceives adequate light for an auto setting. You have to set it to "force" the flash to go off.

From 2 feet away, even the weakest of internal flashes will generally produce SOME color. This is an example of a similar picture I took in Indonesia with the Z1000 using just the internal flash ...



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Octoloco]

That's it! I always have the flash on "Auto". This learning curve sure is tough. And beautiful pic of the frogfish too!

[Nwbrewer]

I use a little PS Canon SD550, and I set it to as much manual control as I can. I seem to get better pictures that way. I don't have a strobe, but I built a diffuser for my canlight, and use it as a poor man's strobe for doing Macro shots in puget sound. I can't do anything even remotely wide angle with the internal flash. One of these days I'll invest in a strobe, but it's nice to be able to just go with my little PS in a pocket or clipped off somewhere.

[Dusty2]

For your question on focus lights, They are basically just a small flashlight that you attach to your camera tray to provide the camera with a good light source to focus in limited light settings. Any small flashlight will work but most will make a hotspot in your picture since they are a focused light and need a diffuser. A dedicated focus light like this one will turn off just as the camera fires the flash to prevent this.

http://www.opticaloceansales.com/focus- ... od_21.html

[Octoloco]

I have so much to learn. So much for the ps cameras; even they need operator attention. I agree with you nwbrewer, it's been a wonderful run with the little camera you can stuff in a pocket or giant stride with.

I guess if I want consistancy, I need to (1) learn to use the camera with its settings and not just ps, and (2) upgrade to strobes at the very least.

[cardiver]

I have so much to learn. So much for the ps cameras; even they need operator attention. I agree with you nwbrewer, it's been a wonderful run with the little camera you can stuff in a pocket or giant stride with.

I guess if I want consistancy, I need to (1) learn to use the camera with its settings and not just ps, and (2) upgrade to strobes at the very least.

The strobes can wait..... I'd practice with your composition and working up close with the flash on board. When you get that down you might want to get a strobe or two or even move up to a different system all together.